1. preface:
A patch panel, also known as a jack panel or jack field, is a type of panel that has a group of Ethernet or other ports on the front and bare wires on the back. Each port is mapped to a punched bare wire on the back and labeled with a number on the front panel for identification purposes.
Typically, patch panels are used as centralized connection points for cables, allowing engineers to quickly connect devices through cable patching. When you frequently switch devices, patch panels make your work exceptionally easy. Let's take a look together!
2. Main Content:
In engineering practice, there are many types of patch panels, including telephone patch panels, fiber optic patch panels, and Network patch panels.
2.1 Telephone Patch Panels:
Today, landline telephones are no longer common, except in some specific situations. However, when landline telephones were prevalent, telephone patch panels were widely used.
In a landline telephone network, trunk cables are deployed from the service provider's central equipment room to the neighborhood, and then the entire neighborhood's landline telephones are separated from this connection point. This connection point is deployed as a telephone patch panel.
Each telephone line is punched into the corresponding numbered connector using a punch-down tool to connect to the telephone network.
Telephone patch panels play a crucial role in the distribution of landline telephones. They allow telecommunication companies to pre-install extra cables so that they can easily connect new users to the telephone network when adding them.
2.2 Fiber patch panels:
With the development of fiber optic technology, traditional copper cables are gradually being replaced by fiber optics. As a result, telephone patch panels are gradually disappearing and being replaced by fiber patch panels.
Typically, fiber patch panels are mainly used for fiber fusion splicing, cable fixation, and protection. They can be deployed in server rooms or at user access points. However, for the part related to patching, we usually use a more specialized term called ODF (Optical Distribution Frame). Compared to fiber patch panels, ODFs are usually larger in structure. One end of the ODF is connected to a fixed fiber optic cable and provides interfaces for each fiber core on the front panel. Just like telephone patch panels, the trunk cables are changed from copper cables to fiber optics, and the interfaces are correspondingly modified.
According to interface classification, fiber patch panels can be divided into:
SC Fiber Optic Patch Panels
LC Fiber Optic Patch Panels
FC Fiber Optic Patch Panels
ST Fiber Optic Patch Panels, etc.
Furthermore, you may have noticed that fiber patch panels and fiber optic adapters are somewhat similar. However, they are two different types of devices. Fiber optic adapters often have different interfaces on both ends and are mainly used for converting between different fiber optic connectors. Additionally, some fiber optic adapters include an optical attenuator in the connector, which can reduce the received power of the equipment when the transmission power is too high, reducing the chance of equipment burnout.
2.3 Network Patch Panels:
Similar to fiber patch panels being categorized by interface, network patch panels can also be categorized by interface types such as CAT5E network patch panels, CAT6 nework patch panels, CAT6A newtork patch panels, etc. Additionally, since there is only one Ethernet interface, which is the RJ45 interface, all the interfaces on the front panel of the network patch panel are RJ45 interfaces. You can quickly connect Ethernet cables using the RJ45 connectors on the front panel of the network patch panel or loop back two network ports to test the integrity of the backbone network cables.
In our daily interactions, we often come across these types of RJ45 patch panels: integrated patch panels, modular patch panels, and corner patch panels. So, which one should you buy? Below, I will introduce each of these patch panels.
2.3.1 Integrated Patch Panel:
An integrated patch panel means that every six ports share one panel. All ports are fixed and cannot be removed. This is a mainstream product in the market.
Advantages of this patch panel: It is ready to use and does not require disassembly. Additionally, it is relatively inexpensive.
Disadvantages of this patch panel: (1) The PCB board of this patch panel is wider, requiring longer cable preparation. Its near-end crosstalk (NEXT) margin is nearly 1 dB lower than that of modular patch panels. (2) This patch panel cannot be replaced. If one port of this patch panel is damaged, you can only find a redundant port to rewire. If there are no redundant ports, you will have to purchase a new patch panel.
2.3.2 Modular Patch Panel:
A modular patch panel consists of RJ45 modules and a patch panel frame. This is also one of the popular products in the market.
Advantages of this patch panel: (1) This patch panel adopts modular design, which meets the requirements of modular structured cabling. (2) In the event of a port failure, you can choose a module product from the same manufacturer for replacement. The cost of maintenance and replacement is low. (3) The PCB board of modular patch panels is narrower, requiring shorter cable preparation, and has a better near-end crosstalk (NEXT) margin. (4) Multiple different structured cabling system modules can be integrated on one patch panel: for example, Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a jack modules can be used together, and copper modules can be integrated with fiber optic couplers.
Disadvantages of this patch panel: The module PCB board of this patch panel is narrow, and wiring usually requires removing the module, wiring it, and then plugging it back in. This adds an extra step, making it more cumbersome. Therefore, some construction workers do not prefer it.
2.3.3 Corner Patch Panel:
A corner patch panel divides the patch panel into two ends, which can be bent to form a certain angle (usually a maximum angle of 120°).
Advantages of this patch panel: This patch panel also serves as a cable management tool, eliminating the need for additional horizontal cable managers. Using one patch panel can save 1U of cabinet space. It can save space in the cabinet height;
Disadvantages of this patch panel: This patch panel has requirements for cabinet depth. It generally requires a cabinet with a depth of at least 800mm.
On the back of the network patch panel, similar to telephone patch panels, there are punch-down terminals that allow for pre-terminated Ethernet cables to be punched down and then connected to RJ45 network cables on the front panel for quick network deployment.
Of course, there are also network patch panels where both the front and back panels are RJ45 interfaces, allowing for quick connection of two network cables.
2.4 Patch Panels vs. Switches, which one should I choose?
Although both network patch panels and switches provide a large number of RJ45 interfaces and have a similar appearance, they are indeed completely different devices. network patch panels simply provide a way to quickly connect Ethernet cables, allowing you to pre-install extra lines during network installation to provide quick interfaces for later Ethernet connections. Network administrators only need to plug the network cables into the RJ45 plugs on the front panel of the network patch panel.
On the other hand, switches are used for expanding network connections. For example, when there is only one network cable but multiple terminals need to be simultaneously connected. Additionally, switches have many advanced features, such as dividing VLANs to reduce broadcast domains and controlling network access through the configuration of other access control functions.
Although switches can expand the number of connections, sharing a single network cable among multiple devices will reduce the available bandwidth for each device. In the case of high bandwidth requirements, this obviously does not make sense.
2.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Network Patch Panels
A Advantages:
Easy configuration and troubleshooting of network issues.
Network patch panels do not require additional configuration. Simply reserve extra cables during wiring. When network issues occur later, you can quickly identify the problematic equipment by disconnecting or replacing it.
Flexibility.
When you need to add or replace devices on the network, you can do so quickly with Network patch panels. However, it's recommended to organize the cables between the patch panel and the terminal devices to avoid cable tangling.
Cost savings.
In large and medium-sized networks, the application of Network patch panels can reduce the cost of replacing faulty cables. For example, if a network cable needs to be replaced due to a fault, without using an Network patch panel, you may need to replace the entire cable. However, with the use of Network patch panels, you may only need to replace the cable from the patch panel to the terminal, significantly reducing the cost of cable usage.
Energy efficiency.
Network patch panels are passive devices, meaning they only require installation and do not need additional power input. This greatly reduces their operating costs.
Easy connection labeling.
Network patch panels have many blank labels on the front panel, allowing you to mark the connection positions for each interface, making future management easier.
B Disadvantages:
Limited scalability.
Once the backbone of the network patch panel is deployed, it becomes difficult to add new cables. Therefore, when deploying newtork patch panels, it is advisable to reserve sufficient backbone cables.
Narrow usage scope.
Since switches can expand the number of connections, network patch panels do not offer any advantages in scenarios with low bandwidth, such as home networks.
